Saint Gabriel of Georgia

Saint Gabriel of Georgia (1929–1995), also known as Blessed Gabriel the Fool-for-Christ, is one of the most beloved and recently glorified saints of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Born Goderdzi Urgebadze in Tbilisi, he felt a profound calling to the monastic life from childhood and was tonsured a monk, taking the name Gabriel.

During the Soviet era, Father Gabriel performed one of the most dramatic acts of Christian witness in the 20th century: he publicly burned a large portrait of Lenin during a Communist parade in 1965, crying out that only Christ is Lord. He was arrested, subjected to psychiatric imprisonment, and endured years of persecution — yet he never wavered in his faith or his love for Christ and the Georgian people.

Known for his ascetic life, prophetic gifts, and deep compassion for the poor and suffering, Saint Gabriel lived as a fool-for-Christ, concealing his holiness beneath apparent eccentricity. He reposed on November 2, 1995, and was glorified as a saint by the Georgian Orthodox Church in 2012. His feast day is November 2. Browse our handcrafted Orthodox icons and devotional items honoring Saint Gabriel of Georgia, made in our Ohio workshop using traditional Byzantine embroidery techniques.